Actress will discuss "Chekhov and Zombies: A Match Made in Heaven"

Sarah Wayne Callies will speak on Chekhov and Zombies at Kennedy Theatre on Saturday, Dec. 8

Although Kennedy Theatre’s “Uncle Vanya and Zombies” has drawn to a close, the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa’s Department of Theatre and Dance will host one final event in its undead marathon. On Saturday, Dec. 8 at 7 p.m., film and television actress Sarah Wayne Callies will come to Kennedy Theatre to offer her insights on the zombie phenomenon and its connection to Anton Chekhov.

This public presentation will be presented free of charge. Because seating will be limited, admission to the theatre will be via ticket only. Free admission tickets will be handed out at the Kennedy Theatre box office beginning at 5 p.m. on the day of the event, until tickets run out. Only one ticket will be issued per person.

Callies grew up in Honolulu before attending Dartmouth College, where she majored in Drama and graduated magna cum laude. She received her Master of Fine Arts degree at the National Theatre Conservatory, spending two seasons in principal and understudy roles at the Tony Award–winning Denver Center Theatre Company. Since then, she has appeared in seven feature films, including the recently-wrapped “Black Sky,” and over a hundred television episodes. She had a recurring role as Sara Tancredi in the Fox Network’s “Prison Break,” which was nominated for Emmy, Golden Globe, and Television Critics Association awards, and won Best New Drama at the 2006 People’s Choice Awards.

Currently, Callies is known for portraying zombie apocalypse survivor Lori Grimes in AMC’s “The Walking Dead,” which has also received Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. Currently in its third season, “The Walking Dead” is an adaptation of the comic book series of the same name, and deals with a group of survivors making their way through a zombie-ridden wasteland — similar in many ways to the scenario in director Markus Wessendorf’s recent production of “Uncle Vanya and Zombies” at UHM’s Kennedy Theatre.

Throughout the semester, Wessendorf has collaborated with various departments within the University of Hawai‘i system – as well as the Honolulu Museum of Art’s Doris Duke Theatre – to create a series of events exploring zombies in traditional and popular culture. This public talk by Callies is the crowning event, and follows “Uncle Vanya and Zombies” in an attempt to help the community sort through, understand, and appreciate all there is to know about Chekhov, the undead, and contemporary culture’s fascination with zombies.

For more information, please visit www.hawaii.edu/kennedy or call the theatre at (808) 956-7655. For disability access, please call the theatre.